


Before I was...

by szm



Series: Kink Meme Prompts [4]
Category: Sherlock (TV), Torchwood
Genre: Angst, Crossover, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-07-08
Updated: 2012-07-08
Packaged: 2017-11-09 11:16:27
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,232
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/454839
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/szm/pseuds/szm
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Written for the Kink Meme</p>
<p>Prompt: Before becoming a DI at New Scotland Yard, Dimmock worked for Torchwood. After Sherlock Holmes’ death, he asks a favour from his old friend, Ianto Jones.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Before I was...

Dimmock looks at the photo and he feels his breath catch, he glances up but John Watson and DI Lestrade have locked their gazes and aren’t paying any attention to anyone else in the room, Sally gives him a glance but her attention is mostly on John and Lestrade.

“It’s him, Greg,” said John earnestly. “It’s _him_ I’m not crazy, or suffering from PSTD, or blinded by grief. It’s _him_.”

“John,” Lestrade’s voice is calm and firm. “It’s a tall, skinny, bloke with dark hair. You know it can’t be him. You saw…”

“I saw what he wanted me to see,” said John anger close to the surface, he jabbed at the photo with his finger. “I don’t know how he did it, but’s that’s him!” 

Lestrade sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. Dimmock interrupted before Lestrade could speak. “I know the other man in the picture.”

Suddenly _Dimmock_ is the one in the full force of John’s stare. It’s horrible, steely will, backed with a terrible _hope_ , it’s the sort of thing that tears people to shreds. It’s easy to overlook, nice, dependable, John Watson. The man who followed Sherlock around and softened his hard edges, the man who can make Lestrade smile; even in the mist of the worse cases, he’s this man too. Determined and able to tear the world apart for the people he loves. The last time Dimmock saw a look like that… well he’s probably going to have to see Ianto Jones again before the week is out. 

“The man Sherlock is following?” asked John, and you could bend iron round the certainty behind that softly spoken ‘Sherlock’.

“The man in front of the man in question,” corrects Lestrade, but he’s not as sure. John is wearing him down Dimmock can tell. 

“He’s called Sebastian Moran,” said Dimmock. “He’s… somebody I used to know, from before.”

Donovan groans and throws up her hands. “Not bloody Torchwood again!”

John shoots a look at Lestrade; he’s been doing that a lot over this past year, looking to Lestrade for confirmation. 

“You’ve heard of them?” asked Lestrade. 

John nodded. “Worked with UNIT for a year, when I was in the Army, I heard the name.”

“The boy scouts? My condolences.” scoffed Dimmock.

“Dimmock worked for Torchwood before all that mess at Canary Wharf,” explained Lestrade.

“Allegedly, I can neither confirm nor deny,” interjected Dimmock. Donovan rolled her eyes at him.

“So, who’s Sebastian Moran?” asked John.

Dimmock took a breath. Sally interrupted. “So help me, if ‘classified’ is the next word out of your mouth…”

Dimmock glared at her. “He was in the Army, he left to join Torchwood. The rumour was that it was just ahead of a dishonourable discharge. He disappeared about a week before The Battle of Canary Wharf. He was under investigation for theft. But after Canary Wharf there was no one to follow it up.”

“Why?” asked John.

Dimmock pushed the memories down. “Everyone died, there were only seven survivors.” Normally that got Dimmock a look of pity that he hated, but John looked at him like he understood, at least a little. “I’ll take care of it. I’ve got a contact from the old days, he can help.”

“I’m coming with you,” said John. Dimmock knew that he should object, civilians never did well when caught up in Torchwood business, but there was no arguing with John’s expression.

**

And that’s how Dimmock ended up in a café in Cardiff with John Watson, waiting for Ianto Jones. Absolutely the last person in the world Dimmock wanted to see. The folder with the photo in it was sat on the table between them, John’s eyes kept flicking to it, as if he were afraid it would disappear.

“Do you really think he’d let you think he was dead for all this time?” asked Dimmock softly.

John sighed and looked up at the ceiling. “Yeah, yes, I do. If it means him not being dead, I’ll even forgive him for it.”

Dimmock wasn’t sure he could understand that, he’d asked Lestrade what he thought of John and Sherlock once, after the whole business with the hairpin. Lestrade had just sighed and given Dimmock a heavy look. “Buggered if I know. Just don’t get caught in the middle.”

“Who are we meeting?” asked John.

“Ianto Jones,” replied Dimmock. “He moved to Torchwood Three after the battle.”

“And that’s based in Cardiff?” asked John. Dimmock just gave him a blank stare in return. “Right, right, classified. So why didn’t you move to ‘Torchwood Three’?” asked John.

“The Met had a better retirement plan,” came a voice from behind Dimmock. 

Dimmock fought the urge to turn round. “The Met _had_ a retirement plan,” he replied. “All Torchwood ever had was a burial plan. Hello, Ianto.”

“Detective Inspector, Dr Watson,” said Ianto taking the empty seat between them. The waitress headed over but Ianto sent her away. “I’m not stopping.”

John’s eyes flicked between the two of them, taking in their body language. “So, you’re not friends then?”

“Good deduction,” muttered Dimmock under his breath.

“He was my girlfriend’s best friend,” said Ianto brightly. “Until he tried to kill her.”

Dimmock didn’t look at Ianto, he could feel his face harden. “That thing wasn’t Lisa, besides how did trying to save her work out for you?” He resolutely didn’t look at Ianto as he felt the other man’s gaze burn into the side of his head. He desperately wanted to reach for his tea but he was afraid his hand would be shaking if he did.

“We need to find a man called Sebastian Moran,” said John breaking the tension and pushing the folder towards Ianto. “He has information about a man called Sherlock Holmes.”

Ianto glanced at the picture then closed the folder, he turned to John. “Moran is in our custody, and no, you can’t talk to him.”

Dimmock saw the look on John’s face and interrupted before he could respond. “Sherlock Holmes died over a year ago, John thinks the second man in the photo is Holmes.”

“What do you think?” asked Ianto looking down at the photo.

“I think stranger things have happened,” replied Dimmock, he took a deep breath. “And I think he needs to know what’s happened to his best friend. It’s hell when you don’t know.”

Ianto was silent for a long moment, staring at the photo, or at least resting his eyes on it. Finally he spoke. “The second man in the photo is going by the alias ‘Robert Sigerson’; we would very much like to talk to him as well. There nothing I can find to say he isn’t a Norwegian explorer, but he isn’t. I’ll send you all the information I can.”

“I’ll give you my e-mail address,” said John.

“I already have it,” smirked Ianto. “Good day Dr Watson, Detective Inspector.” And with that Ianto got up to leave.

Dimmock watched him go, when he turned back to the table John was holding the photo and his hand was shaking. “It _is_ him…” he said softly to himself.

Dimmock tried really hard not to remember, because it wasn’t the same thing at all. But all he could see in his mind eyes was Ianto, tears streaming down his face and a gun in his hand, “It’s _her_ , Liam. Lisa is in there somewhere. I know she is.”


End file.
